Heel lift and method of making the same



y 1958 E. H. BASTABLE 2,840,928

HEEL LIFT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed June 13, 1956 Fig. I

Fig. 3

IN VEN TOR. EDWARD H. BASTABLE ATTORNEYS United S ates Patent 12,840,928 HEEL LIFT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Edward H. Bast-able,Boston, Mass. Application June 13, 1956, Serial No. 591,163 1 Claim.(Cl. 3634) This invention relates to the manufacture of womens shoes andmore particularly to an improved method of making a ready-to-apply heellift and the resulting product suitable for use on French, spike and thelike type heels.

Heretofore it has been the practice to insert in the shank portion of awomans heel of the above type a specially prepared sleeve member havingparts which interlock with a peg fixed to the heel lift when the peg isinserted into the sleeve. Although such constructions are gen erallysatisfactory if great care is exercised in properly applying the sleevemember, they are not only relatively expensive, but the time involvedand properly applying the sleeve increases production costs and hencetheir use is generally limited to the more expensive type shoes.Moreover, if the sleeve member has not been properly applied, there is adanger of a gap being produced between the heel lift and base of theheel, and if the sleeve member and/or peg do not interlock properly thelift is apt to fall off or become loosened. In order to avoid the use ofthe aforementioned sleeve the heel lift has either been attached to oneor more pegs, or molded integral with such pegs, but here again the heelmust be predrilled to receive the pegs in order to avoid splitting.Hence, the cost of the heel and time involved in predrilling results inan objectionably high production cost.

I The principal objects of the present invention are to overcome theaforementioned difficulties and to provide a simple, efficient andreliable method of making the heel lift which can be directly applied tothe base of the heel composed of wood, butyrate, or other suitablematerial.

Further objects will be apparent from the consideration of the followingdescription and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged section through a cavity mold showing the mannerin which the attaching staples are applied;

Fig. 2 is a perspective showing the finished heel lift and integralattaching means; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

In accordance with the present invention I prepare a ready-to-apply heellift by molding the lift about the ends of two or more attaching prongssuch as a staple or the like metallic elements which may be driven intothe body of a wood heel, a heel composed of cellulose acetate butyrate,or other strong and durable thermoplastic material. The attaching prongsare preferably of tempered steel wire, the gauge of which may vary fromapproximately No. 12 (B & S) to 18, depending upon the size andcomposition of the heel to which the lifts are to be applied, and thelift may be molded from any suit able tough, wear-resistingthermoplastic, such as nylon, polyethylene, halogenated polyethylenes,and various other suitable types of thermoplastic material, all of whichare commercially available and lend themselves to standard moldingprocedures such as are set forth in the Modern Plastics Encyclopedia.The Handbook of Plastics by Simonds and Ellis, and other standard textsto which reference may be had for a more detailed disclosure.

It is desirable, if not necessary, that the ends of the attaching prongsbe completely embedded in the body of the heel below the inner face,preferably a distance between /5 and /2 of the thickness of the lift,thus not only insuring a firm anchorage, but allowing at least /2 theheel lift to wear away before exposing the embedded 2,840,928 PatentedJuly 1, 1958 2 ends. If desired, the inner face of the heel lift may bemolded with a slight concavity so as to insure a close fit between itsperipheral margin and that of the heel base.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate a preferred procedure, thenumeral 1 designates a compression mold formed with a cavity 2, theusual knockout pins 4 and plate 5, and an adjustable insert-supportingscrew 6. The inner wall of the cavity 2 is formed with spaced openings 6through which the legs of a staple 10 or other prongs extend so thattheir pointed ends contact the head of the screw 6 which supports thestaple so that its closed end is held inwardly from the inner surface ofthe cavity the proper distance. Where, as here shown, staples are usedwhich are formed from a number 16 gauge (0.051 inch) tempered steelwire, the openings 8 are formed at approximately the geometric center ofthe cavity, although it is to be understood that if desired suchopenings may be formed in spaced relation about the marginal portion ofthe cavity 2, depending upon the size and type of-heel.

The male mold section 11 is carried by the press platen which isoperated by a conventional ram and any suitable mold feeding or chargingmeans may be employed. With either a semi or fully automatic operationof a press equipped with a battery of molds, several thousandreadyto-apply heel lifts may be produced per hour.

In the resulting product, illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the closed endof the attaching staple 10 is embedded below the inner face of the heela distance of approximately one third the thickness of the heel lift 12,and when the lift is composed of nylon or the like thermoplasticmaterial, the staple is not only adequately anchored, but allowance ismade for the heel to wear at least one half its thickness beforeexposing the embedded end of the staple, thus assuring a long period ofwear before requiring replacement.

In using the lifts they are applied directly to the base of the heelwhich is not predrilled and they may be either positioned by hand or bythe use of a suitable jig, but in either case'the staples may be driveninto the body of the heel by a few blows from a hammer, or by thepressure of the ram. From that point on the heels and lifts are finishedin accordance with conventional procedures.

While I have shown and described one desirable embodiment of theinvention it is to be understood that this disclosure is for the purposeof illustration and that various changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the appended claim.

I claim:

A ready-to-apply heel lift for a womans shoe having a. non-metallic highheel, which consists essentially of a lift portion conforming to theshape of the lower face of the heel with flat parallel upper and lowerfaces, and a nonresilient, tempered, U-shaped attaching member havingclosely spaced legs with pointed free ends, said lift portion being atough, wear-resisting thermoplastic composition and said U-shaped memberhaving its closed end embedded in the central area of said lift portionwith its legs spaced inwardly of the periphery of said lift portion andprojecting at right angles from the upper face of said lift portion.

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References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,495,820 Peretti Jan. 31, 1950 2,600,819 Walsh June 17, 1952 2,656,621Hoffman Oct. 27, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 613,193 Germany May 13, 1935617,004 Germany Aug. 10, 1935

